A victory: Voting that transcends race

Throughout this presidential campaign, I heard white people, young and old, say something I'd never heard before: "We see ourselves in him." The "him" is Barack Obama, now president-elect.

That's a huge sentiment in a country that has such a tortured past regarding race. I've wondered how many white people could achieve such a feat. Until Tuesday night, my answer had been: Not many.

Certainly there always have been whites who have championed causes on behalf of people of color. They did so because they felt a kinship that transcended race. And there always have been whites who have seen themselves in the black entertainer or athlete.

But how many could vote for a black, or biracial, person as the leader of the free world? Until this race, perhaps a national referendum on race, I thought: Not many.

I grew up in an all-black community and didn't have my first friendship with a white person until college. He remains one of my best friends and is as colorblind as they come.

Typically, people of color have to see and understand the white world in order to succeed in it. But often it's far more optional for whites to see themselves in blacks. When they do, we think of them as liberal or open-minded. How many Americans feel that way? That's always been hard for me to quantify.

With this election, we have a better sense of the number of people who can achieve such a feat.

This doesn't mean racism is dead. But it does mean that tens of millions of Americans were able to vote their interests regardless of the candidate's skin color.

I feel like I'm getting closer to an answer, and that answer makes me proud of my country. Now the hard work begins.